Sexual Behavior in Zombies
Warning: Spoilers on this page are unmarked. Sexual Behavior in Zombies Sexual behavior among the reanimated dead is extremely rare. Zombies are not living organisms and therefore do not multiply through sexual reproduction, but rather through blood contact, (typically by bite.) Zombies are almost exclusively asexual, although there are exceptions. Zombie sexuality, like human sexuality, can be both hetero- and homosexual. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis: Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is a fungus which infects nearly all amphibian species. It spreads sexually, and has the side effect of making the mating calls of male frogs more attractive to females. The fungus is invariably fatal and possesses no known cure or treatment. The symptoms include decayed skin, and failure of the immune system. Most importantly however, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis actually manipulates the host's behavior. Frogs infected with BD are lethargic but vocalize mating calls that are longer and more attractive. The infected frog essentially becomes a zombie, losing the motivation to do anything but mate and consume, spreading the disease. As of the present, a number of amphibian species have gone extinct due to this fungal condition. Toxoplasma gondii: T. Gondii is a parasite known to make infected rats aroused by the smell of cat urine. The parasite spreads to infect other organisms by making them not only more likely to mate, but more likely to be consumed by a predator. Biological considerations Zombies cannot be considered life forms in the typical sense of the word. A zombie by definition cannot possess a living body but rather possesses an animate ''body. The cause of animation is subject to debate, with the most common theories being a virus, parasite (or fungus,) an alien life force, or animation induced by radiation or energies as yet unknown. In each of the above cases, the spread of the zombie state is caused by violent contact, (whether by blood contact, mucous membrane contact, or any fluid,) sometimes requiring that the victim dies before turning, other times the transformation begins while the victim is still alive (see ''Sprinters ''[Also called ''Rage Zeds]) The incubation period between the victim contracting the zombie condition (Ie. being bitten,) and the time at which they "turn" is usually depicted as being too short and too traumatic for sexual transmission to be a factor, unless the uninfected person consciously sought out a zombie as a partner. Regardless of the cause of zombification, sexual reproduction should be considered a non-factor in any projected model of a zombie epidemic. Nevertheless, there is some, though rare, documentation of sexual behavior in zombies. Physiological Considerations Zombies have many physical traits associated with being dead that make sexual behavior difficult, unlikely, or impossible. A recently turned zombie, (one that is not a rage zed,) would have a greater capacity for any intensive physical actions, including intercourse. After the onset of rigor mortis, this would become much more difficult. In addition, it is likely that in the rare instance where a zombie retains enough of its human characteristics to pursue sex, after a few days in temperate, warm, sub-tropical. tropical, or equatorial climates, the brain would have disintegrated to such an extent that any human instincts would be long gone. It is more plausible that a zombie would exhibit sexual behavior in cold climates, (lending credence to the documentation of Dead Snow.) Since zombies circulatory systems are not functional, it is unclear how male zombies would achieve arousal, if at all. As documented in Otto, Or Up With Dead People: In Otto, or Up With Dead People, a young man dies and is reanimated as a zombie, only to discover that he is now attracted to men. As documented in Cemetery Man: In the Italian film Cemetery Man, zombies (called "returners") are capable of lust and desire, although it appears that their level of conscious involvement varies greatly. Some zombies return with some semblance of their memories intact, (seeking out the partner they had in life,) while others have only the instinct to copulate with and consume the living, (like the young motorcyclist.) The zombies in Cemetery Man also seem capable of platonic love. For example, the gravedigger's deaf-mute assistant Gnaghi falls in love with the severed head of the mayor's daughter, taking it home with him and keeping it in a broken television. The girl's head, surprisingly, returns Gnaghi's affection. As documented in Dead Girl: As documented in Night of the Living Dead 3D: Re-animation: In the 2012 horror-comedy, a Gothic employee of a mortuary performs lascivious acts with a cadaver on the operating table, who appears to enjoy the experience. However, it is later revealed that the three morticians present at the time had accidentally smoked marijuana laced with ecstasy, suggesting that the entire sequence may have been an hallucination. As documented in Burial Ground: As documented in Dead Snow 2: The protagonist resurrects his dead girlfriend in order to fornicate with her at the end of the film. As documented in Dead Alive: In the Australian film Dead Alive, The reanimated corpse of a priest fornicates with a zombified nurse while unattended in the protagonist's basement. Shortly thereafter, the cadaverous nurse gives birth to an infant zombie, making this perhaps the only instance of procreative zombie sex. The infant exhibits extreme agility and near-indestructibility, suggesting that if zombie sexual reproduction ever became commonplace, the offspring might be more dangerous. On the other hand, being dead, it is unlikely that zombie offspring could grow beyond a fetal stage, and even that would depend on whether enough living cells remained in the corpse. Bodies dead more than a few days would be unable to procreate. Citations http://www.zmescience.com/science/biology/zombie-frogs-52620/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis#Rodents http://www.imdb.com/list/ls051666100/ http://ghoulscoutthemovie.com/?page_id=21 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2061869/ Category:Zombies